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round flower things turning black

W

Wei VFT

Guest
you know the round things at the top of flower stalks, some of them are turning black! They have not flowered yet and I want them to flower so I can get seeds! What should I do?
 
If they are black snip them of as close as posible to the VFT. Nep.G.
 
Maybe your lighting or something is off.

They probably will not flower ( any of them ). I would just cut the flower stalk off and wait for it to flower again.

I have seen that happen to some of mine...I am not sure why...I just know what to do when it happens. =/
 
Wei where r u at in the southern hemisphere?
 
Well, I live in the Australia. So do the Venus Fly Trap need more light? Only some of them are black, not all of them and I really want them to flower so I can get seeds. And if I really really have to cut them off, how can prevent this from happening the next time?
:confused:
:sad:
 
If all the flowers are dead...then leave the stalk. Some flowers just don't make it.

How much sun is the plant getting? Sometimes...if the plant is getting too much light ( or not enough ) you will lose the flowers.
Some flowers can't take high heat temps. So if it is getting too hot...

If it is too hot...you might be burning the flowers.

I am not real sure of what all you can do to stop it from happening.

I always cut the flowers off of the plants. I tissue culture and do not need seed really.
 
why do I leave the stalk if all the flowers are dead? some of the things are green while some are black. So do I just leave it or cut it off. I want flowers and seeds. it has been quite cloudy these few weeks so is light the problem because some became black last week. Please help.
 
If you still have flowers on the stalk (spike ) that have yet to open. Then do not cut it.

If all are dead...then there is no need to leave the spike on the plant. The flowering process takes a lot of energy from the plant.

In looking for some information as to why they aren't flowering...I have found none.

I am sorry I do not know what to tell you.

The things that I have found all say just cut it off...it probably will not flower...but it doesn't say why.
 
Wei where are you in australia? What type of light does your plant get? Full sun,shade? How long does it get it for? I find here in centeral QLD my flytrap will get badly burnt if left out in the sun for 3hrs+.
 
  • #10
I live in Victoria. It does not get much sunlight in the morning but it gets a few hours of sunlight in the evening. The sun is not that strong. So how come the flower things turn black? And also, my Venus Fly Trap seems to have a 2nd problem, after eating an insect, the VFt is suppose to open right? Well, mine opens just a little so that you can just see inside. How come the VFT does not open fully? Is it because of the flowers?
 
  • #11
well first off, realize that flytraps are carniverous BECAUSE they live in nutrient poor soils, the there is always this battle for them to get enough energy to do what they need to, whether it be flowering or growing traps...

Now, the re-opening of a trap is a growth process, if your plant is growing a flower stalk, and trying to grow a trap back open, it is most likely that the plant will put the growth energy into the flower, and not the trap.

Also realize that traps work about 3 to 4 times before they cease to trap insects and become just an odd looking leaf.

If you really want seed, then leave the stalk, but if your plant is experiencing other problems, I would sacrifice the stalk for the sake of the plant.

Flytraps flower in the spring, sometimes in the fall, and when they are stressed and think they are going to die... (You know, the whole pass on the genes thing...)

Can you descriptively tell us about your plant?

How old it it? Did you just get it? what is it planted in? What do you water it with? Is it in a terrarium? Is it in a window sill? Do you provide it with artificial light? Or does it get sunshine only? 3 hours of weak sun in the evening is not enough. Morning sun I think is the best, it's not as harsh, for you, a northern facing window with an open exposure is probably the best, but you need to heed the advice of your local aussies, it may get fried that way (not sure, I'm a Texan) We need to know everything you can tell us about your plant to give you a sure fire plan of action... though I can tell you this.

If the plant is flowering (Growing a stalk) and it is experiencing other problems, then save the plant, clip the stalk. If it lives, you can always have it flower again, if it dies, well.. no more flowering ever right?

Always err on the side of caution.
 
  • #12
Wei do u know about the Victorian carnivorous plant society?You can't tell me you don't...i would love to join up with them but i'm in qld...make sure your plant gets at least 4 hrs of direct,strong,sunlight each day-just put the plant in it's pot out in the yard in the morning so it can get the morning light-you don't need to keep it inside all the time-if u r having trouble with ur plant contact the victorian carnivorous plant society and get them to have a look at it if you really wanted to or maybe you could book a visit to triffid park and see how they grow their flytraps-they have some really nice ones-i've seen them on the net...you've got a massive cp nursery(triffid park)and the vsps in your state-you can't tell me your having problems with your flytrap.Also what temps do u get in winter there?All the best:)
 
  • #13
I have cut off the flower stalks of the plant. I got my VFT around June at K-Mart. I water it with tap water but I put hot water into a container, let it cool, wait for 24 hours or more and then I use it on my VFT. No artificial light, I think the soil is Peat Moss, it is Summer over here, the temperature this month is between 14 degrees celcius to 30. The VFT is planted in a pot with holes and then the pot is put into another pot which is filled with water. the pots are plastic. so does anyone have any idea why the flower things turn black? and how can I recover "life" for my VFT? and just in case, if my VFT does not survive, how do I get another one without buying? And is there a Carnivorous Plant "Heaven" at Triffid Park?
 
  • #14
_ROMVED_ BY MODERATOR_ Triffid Park is like one of the BEST cp nurseries in australia-make sure u go visit them some time ok and tell me all about it i really wanna visit them one day. Ok lets start from the top...
The water u give ur vft is tap water right?Well i think ur tap water is ok cause on their site i think triffid park says somewhere they use their tap water but i still wouldn't risk it just in case the water is slowly building up a mineral deposit in your vfts soil and is systamatically killing it. I would advise that you go up to the shop and buy "DISTILLED WATER"and give this to ur plant if it's condition is declining-but u got it in june right?So i guess if it's going ok u don't need to bother with the distilled water cause if it was the water that was the problem ur plant would be well and truely dead by now-ur lucky the water in ur area is pure enough to use for vfts- but if it is declining it might be the water so buy distilled water instead of the tap water-but i don't think it's the tap water. Are you sure you put ur plant in the right kind of peat?Sedge or sphagnum?Sphagnum is the stuff u want but i find it really hard to find sphagnum peat here so i am gonna buy some from triffid park-i would suggest u go for a visit to triffid park and buy some proper peat moss off them-that way u can be sure u r getting a quality product...
that is the only explanation i could come up with-unless ur plant isn't getting enough light but i don't know u should beable to tell if ur plant is getting enough light or not-it's obvious! Please u have so many carnivorous plant resources in ur state u can't let this flytrap die-i mean if ur having problems go and see someone at the vcps or triffid park....u can't just let it die if u can save it!Do u know how much i would love it if an awsome nursery like triffid park was in my state?

(Edited by RamPuppy at 11:44 am on Dec. 20, 2001)
 
  • #15
First, If your plant is in decline, whether Triffid Park says the tap water in the area is OK or not, I would definately not use it, I would switch to Distilled.

You see, what you combat when you boil water is Chlorine and Chlorimine, (Chloromine being a longer lasting more complex form of chlorine) If your water supplier used Chloromine, there is no way to remove it short of a chloromine removal agent you can get at your local fish store.

Chlorine however can be removed by bringing water to a hard boil, airating it for a day or two with an air stone, or simply letting it sit out, uncovered for a week.

The problem is, Chlorine and Chloromine are NOT your enemies, yes, they can and will damage your plants given an opportunity, but the real culprits are salts and minerals.

Now, I am guessing if you have been doing this since june, your salt content is low, as nothing kills faster... As far as Minerals go, they are probably in EVERYONE's tap water, and 'death by minerals' speed of death depends on where you live, in Texas, where our water is pumped right out of a limestone aquifer, and you can see the lime swirling around on the bottom of a glass if you let it sit for a day or two, death is almost immediate, within a couple of days, where you are though, it may take a long long time...

I think the problem with your flowers dieing really was a lack of enough energy from the sun, not a big deal, your plant can live without them... but I would highly advise you to switch to distilled water, the first time, run an entire gallon through the flytraps pot to fllush out it's system, form then on, you can use it more sparingly, keeping the tray topped off.

Distilled water is not a really big financial investment when your talking about one flytrap. If it really is to much, then buy a gallon now, and flush the media, then water as you have been, making sure your water reaches a hard boil EVERY SINGLE TIME, and then flush it at least every other month...

Using that method you will need to repot every year after it comes out of dormancy.
 
  • #16
Now that the flowers are gone, the leaves (traps) are either turning black or yellow, but I can see new red traps coming out from the middle. Is the plant replacing the yellow and black traps or is something else happening? And if my plant is in trouble, how do I get another one from my existing one?
 
  • #17
If it is producing red new traps then it is perfectly healthy-new growth=healthy plant and if it's red then that means it is getting enough light....i think ur plant just got a bit exhausted from flowering it is perfectly fine though...
 
  • #18
I agree with Mondo, let it keep going as it is now, and by spring, it will probably have a nice new head of leaves and traps on it.

Word of advice, DO NOT LET IT FLOWER AGAIN until after it has experienced a dormancy, I think once in a year is enough, but twice to exhausting.
 
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